The Other Two-Thirds of the Gospel: Good News for Peoples from All Worldviews
Wilson Phang PhD,DMin,MSW,MA
Psychologist/Missiologist/CrossCulturalist
This is an excerpt of my Doctoral dissertation in Missional Leadership.
The one “good news” given to man by the Church in response to man’s demise is the forgiveness of sin that is only found in Jesus Christ. However, we need to recognize that there are many different expressions of the hope in Jesus Christ for the people around the world. We need to consider how the gospel and different cultures interact. A person’s culture and worldviews significantly impact how he hears and understand the “good news” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This dissertation project attempts to delineate the interaction of the gospel in cultures and worldviews other than that of the Western world, and propose a presentation of the gospel that could be understood as “good news” to all who hear it.
As Christians, we must not just think about the way our faith in the gospel makes a difference in the midst of our personal lives, but also in our particular culture and society. As we share our experiences with each other, we search for ways to describe how the gospel and culture interact.
Culture is not an overlay that can be peeled back to reveal a pure gospel. The gospel never exists in some culture-free way, but is always expressed through culture. Even when efforts are made to specify the core elements of the gospel, that core is understood and expressed through culture.
Consider Roland Muller’s paradigm of three worldviews in his book, Honor and Shame: Unlocking the Door. The Gospel can truly be presented in such a way that it is perceived and received as “good news” by all peoples with diverse worldviews and values and beliefs and cultures. The gospel of Jesus Christ does speak to all of man’s predicaments. However, it needs to be presented with compassion and understanding, with sensitivity to cultural issues of any specific community.
Professional Chaplain. Theologian and Historian.
1 年If one reads the O. T. Narratives carefully, and then as Christ carefully projected the "Sitz im Leiben" of his culture in a way that "freed" them of the "shame" of the law they could not uphold nor keep, but projected His divine love of "Sola fide" to free them, from sin and eternal separation. All cultures MUST BE BROUGHT TO FAITH. This is not shame, nor an unreasonable requirement by a loving God.
Making the world a better place one life at a time. Better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.
1 年I like what I'm seeing here. Jayson Georges and Mark D. Baker, in "Ministering in Honor-Shame Cultures" emphasize that 80% of the world live in honor-shame cultures. By failing to address how the Bible deals with honor-shame issues, we deprive majority world peoples a huge part of the benefit of the Gospel. Even though I was raised in an honor-shame culture, my American Bible college training kept me focused on guilt-innocence proclamation. Honor-shame has been a huge issue in my own life. I did not recognize it until a great deal of damage had been done. Most Christian counseling does not address it.
Retired at United Methodist Church
2 年May I follow your work? Your sharing part of your dissertation is most interesting. Academic plans are to enter PhD studies in three months via research of orphaning concepts in the global context. I am invite you to follow and interact. Blessings friend.
Entrepreneur, HumanRelations Skills, Counselor, Coach Train Leaders
8 年I think your focus is exactly correct. I read the Mueller materials and think they have a lot to recommend them. I do add another category to his so let me know what you think when you get my eBook.
Entrepreneur, HumanRelations Skills, Counselor, Coach Train Leaders
8 年Wilson, I am very happy to see you go in this direction.As you know, I have written and taught on this as a need in personal ministry and soul care. I see that more is being done to look at messaging to larger groups. My latest eBook on theology has my ideas about the topic. If you want a copy, send me you email.